Training
by WindRyder1
Summary: There's a span of 1 month that's unaccounted for between chapters 5 and 6 of the story "Kizuna" wherein both animal demons -the cat and the fox- learned how to become Human. These stories detail what happens within that time period. (100% sugar and fluff with some adorable emotional points. You've been warned.) More stories to be added.
1. 1 Training

**((Author's Note: I realized after chapter 20 of "Kizuna" that I'd moved away from the adorableness the fic was originally based on. So, to make up for that and not disrupt the flow of that particular fic, here's a subset of stories taking place within the 1 month span of time between chapters 5 and 6 of "Kizuna." They are made entirely of sugar. This may or may not be the start of a new series of stories revolving about training Yosuke and Naoto to act more like humans than animals. Prepare for instant cavities. You've been warned.**

**If you like this, comment below, please, and happy reading. :) ))**

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Chapter 5. Sub chapter 1: Training.

_2 days after Yu was called to the Hanamuras to calm down the fox demon (this puts us at Monday night, folks)_...

Yu unlocked the front door and stuffed the key into his pocket. "I'm back."

His casual announcement was met with a sweet response from his little cousin. "Welcome home."

The t.v played its white noise of an afternoon kid's show through the room. He set his school bag on the couch and moved to the kitchen to find a snack.

Two rust-red colored ears poked out of the bag. The article shuffled a bit as the little fox demon crawled out onto the cushion and stretched with a loud sound of enjoyment at being free.

"You brought him?" Nanako gasped happily.

"Only for a couple of hours until the Hanamuras get home."

Yosuke bounced to the floor, ran circles around the giggling eight year old girl, and darted into the kitchen. He butted in between Yu's legs to see what savory goodies the open refrigerator had to offer.

Yu had brought the small creature directly home from school, since the Hanamuras were out until nightfall, and they didn't want to leave him home alone by himself yet. Mrs. Hanamura had given Yu a spare key to their front door after the other night's incident. He would have gone straight there to study and work on teaching the fox his language until they returned, but he needed to stay with Nanako tonight. His uncle would be home late again. Although his cousin insisted she would be fine by herself, Yu wouldn't have felt right abandoning her.

Yosuke's bushy tail swept lazily from side to side as he held the refrigerator door open with one hand and foot, and balanced to see into a slim cardboard box holding a small pot full of dirt. A few green shoots poked through the soil. He pressed his finger into the moist sod curiously. It looked like a brownie. Perhaps it tasted like one, too?

"Yosuke, don't eat that."

He frowned at Yu's order, but obeyed and wiped his finger on his jeans. His retorted in a disgruntled yip. This was a plant! He wasn't going to chow down on roughage, even if it did smell like cookies. He was just going to try a small bite. Just a tiny bit. That was all.

"If you're hungry, grab an apple." Yu sat down at the table in front of the t.v and opened his notebook. If he could at least get his homework done, he'd have the rest of the evening to work with the fox.

Yosuke pulled the bottom drawer open with both hands, picked up a green apple, set it down next to him, and pushed the door closed. His tail barely escaped being caught by the refrigerator door. He sat down in front of the t.v next to Nanako, held the oversized fruit in both hands, and bit out a large, juicy chunk. Apple juice dripped onto the floor. He didn't mind it when she ruffled his hair.

The sound of apple-crunching lived at the edge of Yu's hearing as he worked through math problems. He was halfway through an algebraic equation when he suddenly paused. Something wasn't right. The crunching had ceased. He glanced up to see the fox holding the half-finished apple in one hand, and staring with complete rapped attention at something near the couch. Yu turned, glanced around, then back to the small creature. His companion hadn't moved, and his ears were fully forward. His tail had gone still. "What are you looking at?"

Yosuke blinked once, sniffed the air, then dropped the forgotten apple. He slowly got to his feet and slid sideways. His eyes remained glued to the edge of the couch near the sliding back door.

Yu scanned the area again, yet saw nothing that demanded that high level of focus. He arched an eyebrow curiously. Maybe he'd spotted an insect.

Yosuke took two soft steps forward so he was slightly behind Yu, and crouched with one hand planted on the floor. His tail flicked and his ears flattened as he leaned back and grinned.

Yu blinked at the explosive pounce that followed. Yosuke launched himself up into the air, hands out, and dove behind the couch.

A small, yellow rubber ball rolled out into the open.

He grinned. Sometimes it was easy to forget how young the fox-boy was, and that he was part animal.

Yosuke picked up the ball, tossed it into the air, and pounced on it when it hit the ground. He dashed away on his hands and feet, around the table, over Yu's lap despite the narrow space between him and the table, and charged his prey again. He swatted at it with one hand, stopped just short of the other side, pivoted in a sharp turn, and kicked the ball. It bounced across the floor. He shot after it.

Yu picked it up. "Nanako, is this yours?"

The fox hopped up and down trying to retake his prize, but the other held it just out of reach.

"Oh! That's where it went! I thought I'd lost it. I was looking for it this morning to give it to him anyway." She giggled. "Do you think he'll bring it back if you throw it?"

"He's not a dog. I don't think he'll play 'Fetch.'" He raised it over his head to avoid the grasping hands of the animal demon, who'd tried to climb up his shirt.

"But he's a fox. My teacher said they're, um...K9s, and always like to play. That they, uh," she put her finger to her lips to try to recall the facts about foxes. Ever since finding the little demon in her room playing with her Loveline magnifying glass, she'd been distracted with learning everything she could about foxes. "They like to run, and pounce, and dig holes, and are curious about everything."

He held the ball out and watched the young fox's head follow his motion as he slowly moved it from left to right and back again.

Yosuke swept the floor with his tail. He wanted that ball. He'd found it behind the couch, so it now belonged to him. "Yuuuuu," he whined. There couldn't be any other way to be more transparent. He didn't know what 'Fetch' was, but he could care less. That ball was now officially the best thing in the world of Inaba. The quick sounds the young fox made was between a chirp, a trill, a purr, and a bark. It was filled with an incredible amount of 'crave.' His ears bounced down with each fast vocal point.

That was the first time Yu had ever heard that kind of noise from him. It was both pleading and funny at the same time. Oddly, his first instinct was to do what he could to make it stop. Whether it was the dissonant sound itself, or the bond, he didn't know. Yu studied his eager face. That must have meant he seriously wanted something so badly he could taste it. It was true that children could turn a simple toy into the most fantastic thing in the world with their imaginations. If this fox was still that young, then theoretically, tossing a ball back and forth wouldn't be considered a sport reserved for an animal. It would be like playing with a small child. What was the harm? Besides, he was afraid the fox-boy would pee his pants if he didn't get that ball back.

Yu stood and opened the back door to step out into the evening light. The fox demon bounded out after him, as did Nanako.

Playing outside with a fox demon sounded like more fun to her than watching t.v. She'd even forgotten to turn off the set. She ran to the other end of the yard and jumped up and down. "We can teach him how to talk!"

Yosuke leaped up onto his back and tried to grab the toy from over the tall Human's shoulder.

Yu set him down on the grass, "I dunno if I should play 'Fetch' with you or not. You're not really a regular animal like a dog. You shouldn't be treated like one. But," He held the ball between his thumb and middle finger, "if you really want it, you'll have to say something else other than my name, ok?"

The fox-boy yipped excitedly in agreement as his ears flattened back in play. He didn't really know any other words, but he would do anything to play with that toy. The same odd quick chattering sound left him once more, only this time it had changed to give a boisterous feel.

"You spoke a couple of days ago. I know you can do it again." He tossed the ball into the air and caught it. "What did you have for breakfast?"

Yosuke thought for a moment to a word he did understand. "Waffles!"

Yu tossed the ball across the yard. Yosuke ran after it, leaped up, and caught it in his hands. He landed in a roll, his tail curling across his shirt. Happy, he ran back and held the ball up for the Human to throw it again. This was fun!

Nanako laughed. "Me next!"

Yu crouched down and took the offered toy. "Ok. I guess this is a game now. So, what's your name? Your full name?"

Yosuke's brown eyes never left the yellow sphere in the others hand. "Yo'ske Hanana'na ma."

"Try it again."

"Ha'ha..na... ma... Hanamura!"

"Good." He rolled the ball across the grass and watched Yosuke dart after it.

The small fox ran circles around Nanako and gave her his toy. He yipped at her to throw it.

The little girl thought of a few questions for a moment, then said, "What color is the sky?"

"Rain!"

"Rain's not a color, silly," she laughed. "What's the color when it's not raining?"

He glanced up at the sky as a flock of birds flew over. "Um...Ba... Br... Blue!"

Nanako tossed the ball up in an arch.

He waited for it to land, pounced on it, rolled it across the lawn, and run it back to Yu.

It wasn't a traditional means of studying, but if it worked, he would use it. "What is the name of this town?"

"I...ni..na... Ina...Inaba!"

Again, the boy rough-and-tumbled with the ball across the lawn before bouncing it back to Nanako.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" She fanned out her left hand.

Yosuke scratched his ear with his head tilted slightly. He knew the number, just not their word for it. It was written in Yu's math book a ton of times, and he even knew how to write them out thanks to countless hours of boredom at school. He held up his own hand, and counted up from 1 in his head until he reached... "Five!"

"Nope," Nanako's eye closed in mirth at her joke. "Four and a thumb."

Yosuke blinked repeatedly in confusion. His hand and hers were exactly the same. He didn't get it.

Nanako threw the ball back to her older cousin, thus causing Yosuke to completely forget the jest.

Yu caught the ball with one hand when their small friend kicked it over. "Good one, Nanako." He pointed to the lawn. "What's that, and what color is it?"

Yosuke automatically answered in his language, and jumped up to snag the ball.

Yu held it out of reach. "In Japanese."

Yosuke wrinkled up the corner of the orange shirt, squinted one eye shut and thought hard. He knew what it was called. He loved running through it with bare feet. It was cool, and moist, and it was soft like the carpet in the Hanamura's living room. It would be much easier if Yu could understand him, but he needed to learn, and he didn't want to disappoint his Human. "Gr...grass. Green?"

"Not bad." Yu tossed the ball again.

The two of them spent the next few minutes quizzing the tiny demon and tossing the ball around. Most of their questions garnered incredibly simple answers, that is until Nanako got to one that completely stumped the poor little guy.

"How old are you?" It was something she'd wanted to learn since she met him. She readied the ball, and waited for an answer.

Yosuke just stared at her. His tail had gone completely still and his ears folded back, though not in any negative emotion. He had absolutely no clue. It had to be a decent number to warrant the fact that he already knew everything they asked, but low enough that something as simple as this game counted as high entertainment. He stole a look back to his friend as if he had the answer.

"I don't think he knows," Yu sat down on the lawn. "Try another question."

The little girl was about to ask what sound a frog makes when someone rapped their knuckles casually against the front door. "I'll get it." She dropped the ball and ran inside.

Finally, the prize was his! Yosuke pounced on it, and batted it around the yard. He threw it at Yu, who caught it, but simply bounced it back. He'd been asked enough questions for one session. This was simply 'play.'

Yosuke's tail swished gleefully back and forth as that ball became his world.

"I think it's for you." Nanako called out. She'd left the door closed, though used the kitchen stool to see through the peep hole. She took pride in the fact that she never opened the door for strangers. Even though her older cousin was here, she wanted to show off her ability to be responsible.

It was close to 5pm. There weren't many people who would come to visit him since it was a school night. Curious, he went back inside and opened the door. Chie smiled back at the threshold with a plastic Junes bag in her hand. Her green jacket was zipped all the way up, and her jeans were just long enough for the fabric to gather past her ankles."Chie? Um... Hi."

"Sorry for the random house crashing. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." He stepped back. "Come in." He closed the door behind her and nodded to his cousin. "It's ok. She's a friend from school. Nanako, this is Chie Satonaka. She already knows about Yosuke, so it's ok. Chie, this is Nanako—my little cousin."

Chie slipped her shoes off at the door and stepped into the living room. "Nice to meet you, Nanako."

Nanako folded her hands behind her back and smiled up at their guest. "Would you like some tea? I can make some. I'm good at it." She beamed.

This little girl had to be one of the most adorable children she'd ever seen. "Sure. Thanks." She set the bag down on the kitchen table while Nanako poured some water into a teapot and set it on the stove. "When I was that old, my dad wouldn't let me near fire. He was afraid I'd burn the house down." She chuckled. "He did give me credit for pouring coffee, juice, and tea into the ice trays to freeze them for later, though."

"That's pretty smart," Yu admitted.

Chie's cheeks flushed lightly. "Yeah, well, common sense says liquid freezes." She rummaged through the bag for the items within, and set them out on the table. "Anyway, I brought some things for the fox demon. It's just some legos and a cat teaser. There's not really much in the pet section of Junes for foxes, and I couldn't ask what animal demons like, so I guessed. There's also a braided rope my dog never really played with."

Yu looked over a cat teaser with a tan faux fur tail on the end of the string. "Actually, I do need to talk to you about that. See, he's—" Something bumped against his foot. He looked down just in time to catch the red and orange blur that was the fox demon charge in, grab the ball, and roll across the floor with it. "—here."

Yosuke rolled onto his back, hugging the ball, and sniffed the air. It held a hint of steak spices. He knew immediately who it was. With a loud, playful 'yip,' he ran over, still holding his precious toy.

She crouched down. "You were playing fetch?"

Yosuke hopped back when she reached to take the ball, laughed, and ran around the room.

"I was using it in a game to get him to talk."

"Did it work? Can he actually speak now?"

"A little, but nothing near sentences." He took down two mugs from the cupboard and helped with the tea.

Chie picked up the cat teaser and bounced it in the air. She grinned when it caught the fox-boy's attention.

He set the ball down, watched the teaser, wiggled his tail, and jumped to grab it. The third try claimed a victory. It sprang out of his hands when he let it go. This wasn't as fun as the ball, but it was new and entertaining. Soon, he was challenging himself to see how many times he could catch it.

Yu set both cups on the low table and settled back to his homework. Chie moved to the other side, keeping the animal demon busy the whole time.

"I thought he was staying at the Hanamura place."

"He is. I was going to take him home, but Mrs. Hanamura said to watch him until they got back tonight."

"So, you're babysitting him now?" Chie swirled the teaser through the air like a ribbon.

Yosuke followed, though kept running in a circle even after she raised the toy, and chased his tail. He fell over in a flop with a drawn out laugh at the room spiraling above him.

"Yes and No. I was over there a couple of days ago..."

Chie sipped her tea as he hold her everything Sayaka had related to him about animal demons, what she knew of the bond, and how it affected the two of them. When he finished, she set down her cup and leaned back on her hands. "That explains why you were acting so weird the last few days."

He arched an eyebrow.

"You were kinda cold to everyone, you hardly ate, and you didn't say hi to anyone. Plus, you were carrying around some serious baggage." She tapped at her own eye to indicate exhaustion. "Yukiko was scared she'd done something wrong. Turns out it was just because you were away from this little guy." She brushed her hand past the fox's tail when he ran by with the ball again.

"Sorry about that."

"It's kind of sweet, actually."

"I don't know about that..." He tapped his pencil against his open notebook. He was bound to an animal demon through the soul, and both suffered if they were unwillingly separated. There wasn't an ounce of 'sweet' about that part of this situation.

"Of course it is. It's like having a pet you really, really love, and can't wait to come home to. I was like that with Muku when I first got him. Hey," she snapped her fingers. "Do you want some help teaching him how to be a Human?"

The sudden offer blindsided him. He was still new in town, and wasn't sure he should ask people he'd recently met for a favor as big as this. "I didn't want to bother you."

"Nonsense! Yukiko and I would love to help!" She sat up straight. "Then it's settled. We'll help every day as much as we can to make this guy act less like an animal, and more like a person."

"Thanks."

Chie dug her phone out of her pocket. "Here. I want to show you a picture of my dog." She held the tech out to him, displaying a snapshot of a younger smiling Chie with her arms wrapped around the head of a hound larger than her. "His name is Muku. He drools a lot, and he smells like it's nobody's business, but I love him. He's the reason Yukiko and I even met." She turned it off and pocketed it.

It was a touching story, and he felt honored she would share that part of her life with him.

These two giants talked way too much, especially the blonde-haired one. Yosuke was bored. That needed to be fixed. Now. In one swift pounce, he jumped onto the table, grabbed the pencil out of Yu's hand, clamped his teeth around the implement, and dove to the floor.

"Hey!" Yu scrambled to his feet and chased the culprit around the table, through the kitchen, and back. "Give that back. That's not a toy."

Like Yosuke cared if it was a toy. He wanted to play, and this was the best idea he could come up with. He hopped up the couch to the shelf behind it, and scurried around the boxes to avoid any grabby hands.

Yu knelt on the couch, thinking he'd cornered the little guy, and lunged forward with both hands.

Yosuke pounced. He barely managed to dodge by leaping onto the others shoulder, and down to the floor. His ears folded back in a 'play' pose as his tail swished in delight. The posture held a clear 'catch me if you can' message. He ran back outside with his prize secured between his K9s.

"C'mon, I need that!" Yu bolted outside. It was a closed-in yard, so there was nowhere the fox demon could run. He jumped off the low deck, landing in a crouch, and grabbed for the fox as he dashed between his legs. He spun when the other cut a sharp 90 degree turn zigzagging across the lawn. Yu tried to keep up, grasping at air, losing his balance and planting his hand against the ground. The other was too fast for him. He had to refocus. This was a job for his kenjutsu training.

Chie moved to the doorway to watch the chaos of an uncoordinated second year high schooler barely under six feet tall animatedly chase a 15" tall fox-human hybrid around the yard. "Try to flank him! To your right! To your right! Hahaha! You missed!"

Yosuke dropped the pencil. He shifted left just to prove her wrong.

Nanako walked down the stairs from where she'd gone into her room to do her own homework with her worksheet in hand. "I'm stuck on a problem. Can you—uh?" She looked outside beyond Chie where her older cousin ran by trying in futility to catch the tiny fox, and laughed at how clumsy he looked. She moved next to the older girl,

"Hey, Nanako," Chie chuckled.

"I wanted some help with my homework, but he's busy." She smiled when Yu's attempts to tell the fox-boy to stop began to hold hints of laughter. He'd been living here for three weeks, and she'd never heard him laugh until now. "What happened?"

"Yosuke took his pencil."

"Oh."

"What's your homework problem?"

"Spelling."

"Want me to help you? I don't think he's gonna catch that fox any time soon." Chie sat down on the deck outside and held out her hand for the grade school assignment.

Nanako handed it over and sat with her legs dangling off the edge. The shine from the metal eraser end of an orange pencil lying in the grass flared briefly in the late evening light. Her cousin and the fox demon were ignoring it completely. She could recognize a game of 'Chase' anywhere.

These entire shenanigans had stopped being about retrieving the pilfered pencil. Yu spotted it as he ran, but quickly refocused on the small creature, and pivoted to block his attempt to run around him on the right. He had him now! In a quick motion, he lunged for the fox. "Gotchya!"

Yosuke yipped loudly as he was scooped up and held tightly. He struggled in laughter to squirm out of his grip, but was pinned to his chest. Yu sat up and unexpectedly let him go. He hopped back when his friend stood.

"Is that all you've got?" Yu spread his feet shoulder width apart and smiled beneath silver eyes. "C'mon, Yosuke."

Yosuke trill-chattered when the other took on what must be the Human play posture. He grinned and pounced. Yu was surprisingly quick as he moved through the yard.

"Can't get me. Oo, so close. Haha!" Yu jogged backwards as the other charged, and ran through the yard in quick motions that mirrored the footing of his martial arts training. He laughed harder when the fox pounced right into his chest and made him stumble back. Yu dropped to the ground in an melodramatic theatrical manner. "I'm hit! It's all over!"

The fox stared him down as he got back to his feet. Now it was his turn. Being chased by the one who saved him was even more fun than playing with the ball. This was the best game ever! He yipped loudly, and took off to the right, laughing the whole time. He couldn't be happier dodging Yu's attempts to cut him off and catch him.

Yu laughed out loud. Every time he succeeded in catching the little guy, he'd let him go, and the game would continue. Whether he would admit it or not, he was having fun. He'd even momentarily forgotten that Chie and Nanako were there.

The two did homework on the deck while the teenager and fox demon chased each other in the warm, honey-gold light of the evening sun.

* * *

_That Wednesday Night._..

It was raining again.

Yu had been sitting at the desk in his room for an hour finishing up his homework. He would take the fox demon back to the Hanamuras when they called, but for now, his companion had occupied himself with the legos Chie had brought over Monday night. That, at least, kept the paper crane count to a minimum.

Yosuke brought him the yellow ball. Yu absently tossed it across the room, then went back to tapping his pencil against the paper. Seconds later, the fox-boy's yip for attention snared his. He was holding the toy out to him once more.

"Not now. I have to finish this assignment." he muttered and tossed the ball across the room.

Yosuke watched it roll by him, heaved a small sigh –like he was upset that the human wasn't getting the point-, and jogged to pick it up. He walked back over and tugged on his human's pant leg. Irritated, Yu roughly set down the pencil. "I said not now." He threw the ball away, though this time Yosuke didn't move.

The ball bounced off the back wall and rolled lazily to the middle of the room. The little fox scrunched up his nose in disapproval, walked over to pick it up, and looked up at his Human. His tail flicked and his ears drooped as Yu went back to his studies. He didn't like the way the others body slumped wearily over the desk. It was too heavy for his normal studying posture. His ears turned forward, detecting a very soft cough hidden within a breath. He sniffed the air. Something wasn't quite right with his human.

The tall teenager pressed his fingers to his head and rested his left elbow on the surface to block the desklamp light. He couldn't think clearly. The literature homework bled into one incomprehensible blur that made his head hurt. It wasn't so much that the work was difficult, he just couldn't focus. He worried his face in both palms.

Yosuke glanced to the ball in his hands, then to Yu, and ran for the couch.

The ball rolled across his homework and bumped into his elbow. "Yosuke, please just-" Before he could finish his command, the others pointed gaze caught his.

The fox stood at the edge of the book. He wasn't smiling, or wagging his tail in anticipation of having fun. He looked from the ball, to his tired face, then back, and yipped. "Yu."

Yu picked up the ball loosely in his left hand. "You didn't bring me this because _you_ wanted to play, did you."

The fox shook his head from side to side. The short trill-chatter he'd sometimes use to convey emotion came out at a more muted softness, and this time sloped up at the end like a question.

Yu realized this little guy had brought him his favorite toy thinking it would bring happiness to anyone who played with it. If he enjoyed it so much, he must have thought Yu would enjoy it, too. He pressed his right hand over the fox's ears, smoothing them down. "Thanks."

Yosuke sat on the book, and recalled the vocabulary he'd learned over the past two days. It was the only way to clearly communicate. Humans didn't register sounds the same way he did. "Hurt? Sad?"

He shook his head, not feeling either of those things. He was just incredibly tired. "I'm fine."

"Play?"

He smirked. "That won't help. But good try, Yosuke." He put the little fox-boy on the floor and gave him back his precious ball. "Go watch t.v. I'm almost done."

Yosuke's ears turned forward in curiosity. Yu's hand had felt incredibly warm, and the ball was far warmer than it normally should be after being handled. That didn't make him feel better at all. It just wasn't right.

He sighed, dropped the ball, and jumped up onto the couch where the remote rested on a cushion. The show that blinked to life on the screen when he pushed the power button was one he'd never seen before.

Motion to his right let him know his friend had finally abandoned his desk to join him. Fortunately, it was a commercial break. Yosuke crawled up to sit on his knee and pointed at the screen. "What?"

Yu blinked tired eyes. He'd been listening to the banter on the t.v for the past ten minutes. "It's a series called 'Aibou.' It's about a special missions section of the police force that solve the worst cases out there. Those guys and their partners work together on everything." He spoke in a long, drawn out yawn. "I haven't seen this in a while, but I think this is the 10th or 11th season. My dad loves it."

Yosuke blinked, though returned his attention to the television when the show returned. He grinned broadly at one sentence and repeated it because it sounded fun. "Let's go, Partner!"

Yu leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. He could afford to let the little guy watch this episode before walking him home. It was only 8pm. Mrs. Hanamura had said she'd call when the managerial meeting at Junes was over. She'd asked him to tell her everything that happened, regardless of how insignificant it might be, so she could log it in to her info on young animal demons. He fell heavily into to the show's dialogue and sound effects through a blanket of fatigue. The phone would surely wake him up if he fell asleep, plus it was on his desk, so he would have to get up to answer it.

A very light cough pulled Yosuke's ears back again. He looked up at the underside of the others chin, and his ears drooped from the lingering sense that something wasn't right. Maybe he could get a better idea of what was wrong if he could just figure out how to ask him. Being small made it easier to walk across the back of the couch, though when he left his spot to do so, Yu slid sideways onto the soft cushions. He tried to tell him to wake up, but wasn't given much in the way of a response besides another cough. Yosuke had never heard him make that sound before, and he didn't like it. If he woke him up, maybe he could get him to stop. He climbed over the others legs and walked along the edge of the cushions up to where both of Yu's arms draped over the side.

"Yu," he tried, pushing on his side. "Yu."

Something was definitely wrong. The little fox could sense it. Even if the phone did ring, he was pretty sure no one would answer it. Yu wasn't even responding to his own name, and Yosuke didn't know how to work the phone. He had to go back to the Hanamuras, but he knew he was safe here, so there was no need to worry.

Yosuke nosed his way under his human's arm and curled up. He wasn't tired.

He stayed awake, lying on his side under Yu's arm using his other arm as a pillow, and watched the next episode of a marathon. Yu coughed again, though wasn't able to hide it since he was asleep. The little fox demon whined at being helpless. Even if he couldn't do anything, he would at least be here when his friend woke up.

"Yu," The small fox demon shifted to look up at his bonded, who's eyes were closed, then back to watching the detective show, and settled in. "Aibou."

* * *

**Next Scent: Training: Naoto's Shoebox  
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**********((The cover pic for this fic is Yosuke sitting on Yu's desk.))**

**((What did you think of the adorable? Are you unconscious from insta-diabetes yet? Let me know. (If you're wondering, Yu just has a small cold that'll simply be annoying for the next few days.))**


	2. 2 Training: Naoto

**((I got this idea watching my cat the other night. It's amazing where inspiration comes from. :3 My friend (who loves Naoto) went to Canada with her own fan art for the little cat demon character. I had to find names for Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane since there's nothing canon.**

**I realize these are chronologically out of order, but keep in mind that Naoto found the Shiroganes after spending 1 full day in the box. Yosuke was in that box for 7 days total. I'll probably add a second part at the police station later one. For now, enjoy.))**

* * *

_Day 3 of living on this side of the TV world - nighttime_...

A soft, high pitched mew begged for Kaori Shirogane's attention. She glanced to her left where a small girl clutched a stuffed Toothless-the-Nightfury-dragon plushy to her chest. The little cat's twin navy blue feline ears dipped slightly when she mewed again.

"Naoto? What's wrong, honey?" Kaori set her slim pen onto the manila folder at her desk and swiveled her chair to face the newest member of the Shirogane household. She smoothed down the tiny cat demon's ears. "Can't sleep?"

Naoto shook her head from side to side and clutched her favorite stuffed toy to her chest. She muffled a soft sound into its tweed detective hat. Ever since Kaori had given her this plushy yesterday afternoon at the vet, she'd never let it leave her side. That Sherlock Holmes dragon helped her to feel safe, and was comforting in the wake of the nightmare that pulled her from sleep. The set of dark blue pajamas Kaori had found for her were still slightly too big—as they had come from another stuffed toy—, and bunched around her bare feet.

Kaori picked up the little cat demon and set her on the desk. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Naoto's ear tipped up. If she was talking about a dream that made her want to cry, then yes; She had a nightmare.

"I wish you could tell me about it." This small creature had proven herself to be an intelligent problem solver very quickly, and Kaori knew she had her own history. Still, the language the cat-demon spoke wasn't remotely close to her own even though Naoto could understand everything she said. For some reason, she wasn't able to mimic the sounds. Hopefully that would quickly change.

She flipped a page in the folder and set it aside.

Naoto tried to read the strange upsidedown characters on the page at her feet and asked what it was all about.

Kaori nudged the small cat girl back a little so she could mark down another note. She couldn't understand her, so she guessed by the tiny girl's tone. "It's one of the case files my husband is working on. He had to stay late, so I'm giving him a hand with some paperwork.

Naoto set down her plushy and pulled one of the pages over her head to see the one beneath it. Her nose scrunched up at the black and white aerial photo of a man in a trench coat walking away away from the camera position through a parking lot. She tugged the picture out from under the large paperclip with both hands and sat down to study it.

"That's our current suspect in a robbery at Mako's. It's a small convenience store. We don't know who he is, but detective Dojima has a few leads. Sadly, that's all we have to go on."

Naoto looked up at the kind woman, then back to the picture. Her tail flicked idly as she squinted at the details in the background with the scrutiny of a jeweler. Something caught her attention. She stood and tugged on Kaori's cuffed sleeve and held up the picture. There's a point on it she needed to see, and tried to tell her what it was, but Kaori only raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"We've been over this picture a million times." She blinked when the little cat ran over, pulled a magnifying glass out of a pencil holder, and carried it back across her shoulder. She took the offered tool and held it over the photo where Naoto patted the glossy paper. There was something incredibly minute to the man's right. Now curious, Kaori leaned over to get a closer look through the glass. Her lips parted slightly at what she saw.

Naoto had found a reflection of the man's face in the window of the car next to him.

"I'll be..." She set the magnifying glass down and ruffled the cat girl's ears. "We never even caught that. This'll put us on the path of finding the thief. Good job, Naoto."

Naoto's tail swished in happiness.

That made two cases this little creature had helped to solve within two days. Kaori needed to teach her how to become Human, and how to interact. An idea struck her with warm genius. Her husband may not go for it, but she could convince him. "Would you like to come to the station with me tomorrow?

This kind giant was asking her if she'd like to return to the place where she'd received her name and new life? Where she'd had fun giving the other detectives something to chase? Her eyes dilated in joy. Of course she wanted to go back! This was her chance to prove she could live up to her name, and maybe use their resources to find her friends. She nodded vigorously with a mew of delight.

"Then you'd better get back to bed. You're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

Naoto grabbed her plushy just before Kaori picked her up, and nuzzled into the warmth of the woman who claimed her.

Kaori moved down the hall of the second floor to her own bedroom. The door was left open just in case the cat girl needed to leave. Although it was a sliding soji, she still wanted to give her new family member the security in knowing she was free to go anywhere she wished. This was now her home, too, after all. It was still a large house –a mansion, really. Kaori had originally set up Naoto's living space in the room next door, but woke up last night to find the cat demon curled up next to her. If this house was large for her, it must be tremendous for a creature standing 12 inches tall.

She set the little cat girl on the cushy animal bed they'd purchased that morning. "Good night, Naoto. Sweet dreams."

Naoto watched her go, though didn't need to blink when the human turned off the light at the center of the ceiling. Her eyes adjusted instantly to the light difference. She laid down on her stomach with her head resting on her arms, and her feet tucked under a fold of fabric in the bed. Toothless, her trusty dragon companion, rested comfortably against her. She exhaled and watched the moonlight cast shifting shadows of the tree outside across the floor.

The moonlight shone on at the edge of a white piece of paper in the closet. Curious, Naoto sat up and stepped out of the bed. She walked across the rug to the tall closet and pushed the door open slightly. Her eyes widened, and she grinned. She'd found something truly amazing.

Naoto dragged the shoebox out to the middle of the floor and pull the top off. She walked around it, inspecting it closely. This was a well constructed, tough box not unlike the one she'd come through the weird portal in, only much smaller. This was perfectly, ingeniously, Naoto size.

Unfortunately, it was already occupied by a pair of brand new soft pink pumps –a fact that could be easily remedied.

Naoto cracked her knuckles, pulled both shoes out, tossed them aside one by one. At first, she turned the shoebox over so she could scramble beneath it, and sat up with it on her head. She giggled. This was fun! But she had a better idea.

The little cat pushed it so it faced up again, and jumped into the box. The tissue paper crumpled at her impact. It made a glorious crinkling sound that set her tail flicking with delight. Entertained, she shuffled around inside the box, rustling the paper, balling it up, smoothing it out again, and settled down in a little ball to look over the top. It was absolutely perfect, and now this fantastic box belonged to her.

She needed to make it official.

Naoto bounced out of the box, ran to the bed and climbed up using the claws of her hands and feet. She stepped over to the night stand and pulled open the drawer. Thankfully, the permanent marker she'd watched Kaori's husband, Takashi Shirogane, place in it that morning was still there. She grabbed it with both hands, ran back to the bed, dropped the marker, and climbed down. The cap popped off easily, though the ink-covered felt tip seriously reeked. She had already learned to recognize some letters and numbers where she'd come from before Inaba, and fought to recall the sound of her own name.

Holding the marker in both hands, she drew the symbols on the front of the shoebox, tongue in cheek, and stepped back to admire her work.

** NAOTO  
**

She recapped the marker and dropped it to the side. Its work was done. This box now belonged to her, one-hundred percent, without argument. No one could claim it, take it away, or ruin it. There was no mistaking that this was her territory.

She pushed the box over next to her bed, grabbed her favorite plushy, and hopped back inside. She curled up around the stuffed toy among the paper and relaxed, staring at the inside of the thick cardboard. It kept her from feeling so exposed to this enormous room, and the nightmare of the giant shadow that had tried to eat her and her friends. She thought of the fox-boy guarding her, and the dog-demon trying to fight using fire. The images were clear, though not as powerful now. Toothless and the shoebox would protect her.

She exhaled, settled in, and went to sleep.

* * *

The earth-trembling vibration of a large monster jarred her out of sleep. It's loud roar continued without end, and it was getting closer. Naoto sat up, glanced around frantically, and ducked back down to see just barely over the edge of the shoebox as the door to the room slid open.

A strange woman she'd never seen before stepped into the room with her hand resting on the head of the beast. The woman pushed it across the floor in quick steady strokes. The noise was deafening.

Naoto's eyes widened in terror and her ears folded back. Her tail fluffed out, as did her ears, and even her short hair stood on end. She felt the thin strip of fur along her spine heckle from the fear. That thing had better stay on the other side of the room. It had better stay way over there away from this shoebox. If it came any closer...

The cleaning lady hummed a song from a slim pair of white earbuds dangling from her ears as she pushed the vacuum cleaner around the bed.

Oh god, it's coming this way! What the hell is that?! Get it away! Naoto hissed at it repeatedly, and swiped at it with her right hand, claws out. Her ears folded back. She bore her teeth, hoping to look more intimidating. She sank into her box. Nothing could get in here.

The cleaning lady stopped, watching the small cat-girl curiously. "A cat?" She plucked the earbud from her right ear. When did her employers get an animal? She looked more closely at the fluffed out tail, ears, wide eyes, and ...human face? "So small. Why do you look like a kid?"

"Tami?" Kaori walked in as the cleaning lady turned at the sound of her name. "Oh, I see you've met Naoto. She's the newest member of the Shirogane household."

Tami looked back to the creature, who growled at her behind the barrier of Shoebox. "What is it?"

"We're not sure yet, but hopefully we'll find out soon." She moved forward to pick up the little cat demon.

Naoto snagged the arm of her plushy so the toy came with her.

"I think she's afraid of the vacuum cleaner."

Tami blinked in disbelief. The small cat girl couldn't be taller than a ruler. "Um, right..." she stuttered, not sure what to think. She'd never seen any creature or animal like that before in her life.

"I must ask you not to talk about her to anyone, please." Kaori tucked her hand under Naoto's feet for support.

Stunned, she simply nodded.

Kaori smiled. "Thank you. Please, continue."

Tami nodded again and watched them leave.

Naoto turned in the woman's arms to glare at give the cleaning lady the 'dagger' glare. She held up two fingers to her eyes, then swept them back at the intruder. She would never put blind faith into anyone who commanded a monster that ate everything it rolled over. From this point on, she would be watching this woman like a hawk.

Lesson learned: Never trust the cleaning lady.

* * *

**Next scent: 5.5 Foxball**


	3. 3 Training: Foxball

**((Yosuke in a hamster ball -idea sparked by a conversation with a friend over Skype. I wrote this last night. :3 It's short and sweet. And soon there will be art. Oh yes... there will be art.))**

* * *

_Friday night, 1 week after the freakout of chapter 5_...

"Hey, who ate my plate of leftovers?" Dojima pulled out a barren plate from the bottom shelf with the foil folded back.

A tiny belch out of sight, immediately identified the culprit.

He stormed into the living room and knelt down to look under the table.

Yosuke was on his back, grinning happily with his hand over his full belly.

Dojima looked to the empty plate, then back. "You're barely taller than my computer tower at work. How can you eat an entire plate of fried rice and ham?"

Yosuke yawned. He didn't care how, it was just really, incredibly delicious, and he'd been hungry. Yu had stepped out to pick up something from Junes – he couldn't remember—but knew his friend would be home shortly.

Dojima eyed him angrily, and grumbled. "You don't even live here and you eat my food." He stood and glanced around the room for some form of retaliation for this little freeloader. His nephew may be taking care of this fox-boy-thing, but he didn't have to put up with it. That cat-girl at the station caused enough trouble for him as it was. He marched into his room and returned shortly after with a oversized, transparent, hard-plastic rodent ball in his hands. The top twisted off easily. In one swift move, he snatched up the small fox demon from under the table.

Yosuke let out a squeak-yip as the older Human's wrinkly hand wrapped around him and pulled him from his comfortable spot. His sounds of surprise and annoyance went right by Yu's uncle. He'd barely had enough time to think of the words in the Inaba language to demand he be let go when Dojima shoved him into the plastic ball. He planted his hand against the lid a second after it clicked shut.

Dojima held the small fox hybrid ball and smirked. "You're in here for the rest of the night. That'll teach you to eat someone elses food." He set the ball on the floor and flopped down on the couch, satisfied he'd passed his judgment well.

Yosuke yelled to be let out. He pushed on the ball, rocking it back and forth. The motion threw off his balance and he fell over. Of course, the ball moved with his motions. He tried to shift so he could crawl on his hands and knees –considering the ball was big, but not big enough for him to stand up in—and succeeded only in rolling across the floor. His ears flattened against the underside, and his tail had no where to go but around his body. This was a form of torture! Eating a plate of day-old fried rice and ham didn't warrant this kind of punishment.

The more he struggled, the more the ball wobbled around the room.

Dojima sat back to read his paper, and completely ignored the sounds of the frustrated fox demon. This was his house. If the kid-animal was going to be here, he needed to respect the king of the castle. And that meant respecting the king's dinner. He watched the small creature scramble by in the large hamster ball, and was glad he'd decided to return this to the neighbor's kid tomorrow after finding it out front this morning.

The door opened about twenty minutes later. "I'm back."

Yosuke laid on his back with his legs bent, and his bare feet flat up against the other side. His ears twitched at the sound of the sliding door. Yu was back! Thank God! He'd get him out of this. Yu slipped off his shoes, but that was as far as he got before the ball of fox-boy rolled into view. "..." He looked over to his disinterested uncle, then back to the oversized rodent ball on the floor. It looked like it originally belonged to a rabbit. "Um... It's Yosuke. ...In a ball."

"Ee-Yup," Dojima flipped the paper to stiffen up the spine.

Yosuke tried to get his attention. He called his name, pounded on the inside of the ball, and completely gave up on the other language.

Yu set down the bag from Junes and just watched. "Why?"

"If you're gonna keep bringin' him here after school, he needs to learn his place in this house."

"I see." He blinked, held up his phone, recorded a few seconds, then pocketed it. At least the ball had air holes. This was a lesson the animal demon needed to learn, so a few more minutes should get the point across. "Ok." He finally shrugged and walked upstairs. The fox would be fine for now.

"Yu!?" Yosuke fumbled to roll the ball after his friend. He wanted to order him to wait, to come back, but didn't know how to fit their words into a sentence. "Out! Yu! Dude!" His foot caught on his tail, pulling it. He yelped and faceplanted. The inertia rolled him over head over tail. This was a rare moment where Yosuke wished—in an irritated grumble—that he wasn't so little.

* * *

**Next Scent: 5.5 TBD**


End file.
